Employing Wi-Fi communications to activate an operation of an autonomous vehicle at a scheduled time

ABSTRACT

The disclosure generally pertains to minimizing battery power consumption while employing local wireless communication to activate an operation of an autonomous vehicle. In an example implementation, a vehicle controller of an autonomous vehicle transitions to a powered-down state after the autonomous vehicle is parked at a parking spot that lacks cellular communication coverage. The vehicle controller may transition to a powered-up state at a scheduled time to execute an autonomous operation based on a directive stored in a cloud-based device. In no directive has been stored, the vehicle controller wakes up periodically in a partially powered-up state and transmits a query in a local wireless communications format to the cloud-based device to check for a directive. If no directive is present, the vehicle controller transitions back to the powered-down state. If a directive is present, the vehicle controller transitions to a fully powered-up state to execute the autonomous operation.

BACKGROUND

Advances in automotive design are constantly introducing more and moredriver assistance features into vehicles. Some of these features, suchas cruise control and anti-lock braking system (ABS), have been aroundfor many years. Some other features, such as brake assist and lanedeviation warning systems, have been introduced subsequently. With theadvent of autonomous vehicles, many driving tasks have now beenautomated, including tasks such as self-driving on roads, self-parking,remote start, and summons. An individual may nowadays enter a directiveinto a smartphone to instruct an autonomous vehicle to park in a garagewithout human assistance and another directive to instruct theautonomous vehicle to start up and travel from the garage to a spotlocated some distance away from the garage in order to pick up theindividual.

Such directives are typically transmitted via a cellular communicationsnetwork from a smartphone of the individual to a computer in theautonomous vehicle. However, cellular communications coverage may bepoor or non-existent in some places, such as, for example, inside abuilding, and directives entered into the smartphone may be unable toreach the computer in the autonomous vehicle. The lack of cellularcommunications coverage can thus pose an issue in such places.

Another issue relates to power consumption by electronic componentscontained in the computer that receives the directives in the autonomousvehicle. The power drain on the battery of the vehicle can beproblematic, especially if the vehicle is left parked and unattended fora significant period of time (such as at an airport).

It is therefore desirable to provide solutions that at least addressissues related to conveying commands to an autonomous vehicle in areaswhere cellular coverage is poor or non-existent, and also issues relatedto battery power drain in such parked vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description is set forth below with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals mayindicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilizeelements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings,and some elements and/or components may not be present in variousembodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on thecontext, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example autonomous vehicle that can be controlledvia directives entered into a user device by an individual who islocated outside the autonomous vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows some example components that may be included in a vehiclecontroller provided in an autonomous vehicle in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario wherein an autonomous vehicle isparked in a parking area that lacks cellular coverage.

FIG. 4 shows a graph of battery power consumption in a parked autonomousvehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a method to execute a wakeup operation uponthe autonomous vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

In terms of a general overview, this disclosure is directed to systemsand methods to minimize battery power consumption in an autonomousvehicle while employing communications in a local wireless communicationformat to communicate with a cloud-based device and obtain a directivefor initiating an operation by the autonomous vehicle. An individual mayoperate a user device (a smartphone, for example) to convey thedirective to the autonomous vehicle via the cloud-based device. Thedirective may instruct the autonomous vehicle to perform variousoperations, such as, for example, a remote start operation, a remotevehicle door lock operation, or a remote summons operation. In anexample implementation in accordance with the disclosure, a vehiclecontroller of an autonomous vehicle transitions to a powered-down stateafter the autonomous vehicle is parked in a parking spot that lackscellular communication coverage. The vehicle controller may transitionto a powered-up state at a scheduled time to execute an autonomousoperation in accordance with a directive stored in a cloud-based device.In no directive has been stored, the vehicle controller wakes upperiodically to a partially powered-up state and transmits a query in alocal wireless communication format to the cloud-based device to checkfor the presence of a directive to execute an autonomous operation. Ifno directive is present, the vehicle controller transitions back to thepowered-down state. If a directive is present, the vehicle controllertransitions to a fully powered-up state to execute the autonomousoperation. Transitioning to the powered-down state after the autonomousvehicle is parked in the parking spot may involve the vehicle controllerperforming actions such as, for example, placing a Wi-Fi communicationssystem and a cellular communications system in the powered-down state.Transitioning to the partially powered-up state may involve the vehiclecontroller performing actions such as powering up the Wi-Ficommunications system, which is one example system employing a localwireless communication format) and retaining the cellular communicationssystem in the powered-down state, thereby conserving battery charge in abattery of the autonomous vehicle.

Illustrative Embodiments

The disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of thedisclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the exampleembodiments set forth herein. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made tovarious embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the presentdisclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exampleembodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents. The description below has been presentedfor the purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive orto be limited to the precise form disclosed. It should be understoodthat alternate implementations may be used in any combination desired toform additional hybrid implementations of the present disclosure. Forexample, any of the functionality described with respect to a particulardevice or component may be performed by another device or component.Furthermore, while specific device characteristics have been described,embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other devicecharacteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described inlanguage specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, itis to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited tothe specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific featuresand acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing theembodiments. It should also be understood that the word “example” asused herein is intended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting innature.

Furthermore, certain words and phrases that are used herein should beinterpreted as referring to various objects and actions that aregenerally understood in various forms and equivalencies by persons ofordinary skill in the art. For example, the phrase “user device” as usedherein is applicable to any device that a person may use to run softwarethat performs various operations in accordance with the disclosure. Theword “vehicle” as used in this disclosure can pertain to any of varioustypes of vehicles such as cars, vans, sports utility vehicles, trucks,electric vehicles, gasoline vehicles, and hybrid vehicles. The phrase“autonomous vehicle” as used in this disclosure generally refers to avehicle that can perform at least a few operations without humanintervention. At least some of the described embodiments are applicableto Level 5 vehicles, and may be applicable, in some scenarios, to lowerlevel vehicles as well. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)defines six levels of driving automation ranging from Level 0 (fullymanual) to Level 5 (fully autonomous). These levels have been adopted bythe U.S. Department of Transportation. Level 0 (L0) vehicles aremanually controlled vehicles having no driving related automation. Level1 (L1) vehicles incorporate some features, such as cruise control, but ahuman driver retains control of most driving and maneuvering operations.Level 2 (L2) vehicles are partially automated with certain drivingoperations such as steering, braking, and lane control being controlledby a vehicle computer. The driver retains some level of control of thevehicle and may override certain operations executed by the vehiclecomputer. Level 3 (L3) vehicles provide conditional driving automationbut are smarter in terms of having an ability to sense a drivingenvironment and certain driving situations. Level 4 (L4) vehicles canoperate in a self-driving mode and include features where the vehiclecomputer takes control during certain types of equipment failures. Thelevel of human intervention is very low. Level 5 (L5) vehicles are fullyautonomous vehicles that do not involve human participation. The phrase“software application” as used herein with respect to a user device suchas a smartphone, refers to various types of code (firmware, software,machine code etc.) installed in the user device. The phrase “key offcondition” as used in general parlance refers to a condition where anignition key of a vehicle has been removed from an ignition switch. Thisphrase is now generally extended to all types of vehicles when theengine/motor of the vehicle has been shut down (including vehicles thatare started by depressing a push button). The phrase “key off load”typically refers to an amount of charge drawn from a battery of avehicle that is in a key off condition. It should be understood that theword “example” as used herein is intended to be non-exclusionary andnon-limiting in nature.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example autonomous vehicle 115 that can becontrolled via directives entered into a user device 120 by anindividual 125 who is located outside the autonomous vehicle 115. Theautonomous vehicle 115 may include various components such as, forexample, a vehicle controller 110 and a wireless communication system.

The user device 120 of the individual 125 may be any of various devicessuch as, for example, a smartphone, a smart wearable, a tablet computer,a laptop computer, and a desktop computer. In the illustrated examplescenario, the user device 120 is a smartphone held by the individual 125while standing outside the autonomous vehicle 115. In another examplescenario, the user device 120 can be a laptop computer or a desktopcomputer that is operated by the individual 125 when the individual 125is located inside a building, such as, for example, when seated in thelobby of a hotel, a room in a house, or in an airport terminal.

In general, the user device 120 can include a processor, a memory, andcommunication hardware. The memory, which is one example of anon-transitory computer-readable medium, may be used to store anoperating system (OS) and various code modules such as, for example, acontrol application for controlling the autonomous vehicle 115. The codemodules are provided in the form of computer-executable instructionsthat can be executed by the processor for performing various operationsin accordance with the disclosure. The communication hardware caninclude one or more wireless transceivers, such as, for example, acellular transceiver (when the user device 120 is a cellular phone) or aWiFi transceiver (when the user device 120 is a laptop computer, forexample) that allows the user device 120 to transmit and/or receivevarious types of wireless signals to/from the autonomous vehicle 115.The communication hardware can also include hardware for communicativelycoupling the user device 120 to the communications network 150 forcarrying out communications and data transfers with the cloud-baseddevice 140.

The vehicle controller 110 may perform various functions such as, forexample, controlling engine operations (fuel injection, speed control,emissions control, braking, etc.), managing climate controls (airconditioning, heating etc.), activating airbags, and issuing warnings(check engine light, bulb failure, low tire pressure, vehicle in blindspot, etc.). The vehicle controller 110 may also control various actionsperformed by the autonomous vehicle 115 such as, for example, travelingon a travel route towards a designated destination without humanintervention, responding to a self-parking operation by traveling to agarage, locating a vacant parking spot, and parking in the vacantparking spot without human intervention, and responding to a summonsdirective by pulling out of a parking spot in a garage and traveling toa pickup location where the individual 125 may be waiting to get intothe autonomous vehicle 115.

The wireless communication system can include a set of wirelesscommunication nodes 130 a, 130 b, 130 c, and 130 d mounted upon theautonomous vehicle 115 in a manner that allows the vehicle controller110 to communicate with devices such as the user device 120 carried bythe individual 125. In an alternative implementation, a single wirelesscommunication node may be mounted upon the roof of the autonomousvehicle 115. The wireless communication system may use one or more ofvarious wireless technologies such as cellular (5G, for example), Wi-Fi,Bluetooth®, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Zigbee®, Li-Fi (light-basedcommunication), audible communication, ultrasonic communication, ornear-field-communications (NFC), for carrying out wirelesscommunications with devices such as the user device 120.

The vehicle controller 110 can also utilize the wireless communicationsystem to communicate with a cloud-based device 140 (a server computeror a cloud storage element, for example) via a communications network150. The communications network 150 may include any one network, or acombination of networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a telephone network, a cellular network, a wirelessnetwork, and/or private/public networks such as the Internet. Forexample, the communications network 150 may support communicationtechnologies such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth®,Ultra-Wideband, near-field communication (NFC), Li-Fi,machine-to-machine communication, and/or man-to-machine communication.At least one portion of the communications network 150 includes awireless communication link that allows the cloud-based device 140 tocommunicate with one or more of the wireless communication nodes 130 a,130 b, 130 c, and 130 d on the autonomous vehicle 115. The cloud-baseddevice 140 may communicate with the vehicle controller 110 for variouspurposes such as, for example, to convey a directive received from theindividual 125 via the user device 120. The directive can be any variousactions to be carried out by the autonomous vehicle 115 such as, forexample, a summons to pick up the individual 125 at a designatedlocation. In an example implementation in accordance with thedisclosure, the cloud-based device 140 may communicate with the vehiclecontroller 110 by exchanging message data packets formatted in aprotocol such as, for example, a telematics protocol. Two examples of atelematics protocol include the Ford Telematics Communication Protocol(FTCP) and the Next-Generation Telematics Protocol (NGTP).

The user device 120 may communicate with the vehicle controller 110 viaone or more of the first set of wireless communication nodes 130 a, 130b, 130 c, and 130 d so as to allow the individual 125 (for example adriver who is outside the autonomous vehicle 115) to control theautonomous vehicle 115 from a remote location when performing operationsin accordance with the disclosure.

In an example scenario in accordance with the disclosure, the individual125 may be standing on a curb 126 at a roadway intersection and mayexecute a software application in the user device 120 to summon theautonomous vehicle 115 from a public parking spot located on a sidestreet about a block away from where the individual 125 is standing. Theindividual 125 may opt to summon the autonomous vehicle 115 from thepublic parking spot to a pickup spot close to the roadway intersection.The individual 125 may track the progress of the autonomous vehicle 115on the user device 120 as the autonomous vehicle 115 travels from thepublic parking spot to the pickup spot. The individual 125 may enter theautonomous vehicle 115 when the autonomous vehicle 115 stops at thepickup spot.

In another example scenario in accordance with the disclosure, theindividual 125 may opt to issue a directive to the autonomous vehicle115 to travel from the public parking spot to a driveway of a building,and can enter the autonomous vehicle 115 when the autonomous vehicle 115stops on the driveway.

In yet another example scenario in accordance with the disclosure, theindividual 125 may be standing near a door in front of a building (ahotel, for example) and may execute a software application in the userdevice 120 in order to summon the autonomous vehicle 115 from a parkinggarage located behind the building. The parking garage can be an openarea in one case and a multistoried structure in another case. Theautonomous vehicle 115 may be parked on any floor of the multistoriedstructure. The individual 125 may enter the autonomous vehicle 115 whenthe autonomous vehicle 115 travels to, and stops, at the pickup spot.

In yet another example scenario in accordance with the disclosure, theindividual 125 may be in a room of a hotel after checking in overnight,and may execute a software application in the user device 120 to issue adirective to the autonomous vehicle 115 to move from a public parkinglot outside the hotel premises to a parking lot behind the hotel. Theindividual 125 may track the progress of the autonomous vehicle 115 onthe user device 120 as the autonomous vehicle 115 travels from thepublic parking lot to an assigned parking spot in the parking lot of thehotel. The individual 125 may then remotely secure the autonomousvehicle 115 overnight when the autonomous vehicle 115 stops in theparking garage, such as, for example, by issuing directives to shut downthe engine of the autonomous vehicle 115, lock the doors of theautonomous vehicle 115, and arm a security system of the autonomousvehicle 115. The individual 125 may summon the autonomous vehicle 115the following morning by issuing directives such as, for example,starting the autonomous vehicle 115, starting a climate control systemof the autonomous vehicle 115, and specifying a pickup location for theautonomous vehicle 115 to travel to.

FIG. 2 shows some example components that may be included in the vehiclecontroller 110 of the autonomous vehicle 115 in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure. The example components may include acommunications module 205 and an advanced driving system (ADS) 235 thatare communicatively coupled to each other. Each of the communicationsmodule 205 and the ADS 235 may include a processor, a memory, andcommunication hardware. The memory, which is another example of anon-transitory computer-readable medium, may be used to store an OS andvarious code modules such as, for example, a software application toperform various tasks, including executing directives received from theuser device 120. The code modules are provided in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions that can be executed by the processorfor performing various operations in accordance with the disclosure. Thememory can also contain a database for storing information such as, forexample, a map of a parking lot, valid parking areas in the parking lot,prohibited parking areas in the parking lot, and travel paths in theparking lot.

The ADS 235 may provide various types of features that automate, adapt,and/or enhance various vehicle systems. The ADS 235 may, for example,automate lighting operations, provide adaptive cruise control, providecollision avoidance, provide lane departure correction, provide lanecentering, and execute navigational guidance instructions. Moreparticularly, in accordance with the disclosure, the ADS 235 isconfigured to execute directives received from the user device 120 viathe communications module 205.

The communications module 205 may include various systems such as, forexample, a Bluetooth communications system 220, a cellularcommunications system 225, and a Wi-Fi communications system 230 (whichis one example system that employs a local wireless communicationformat). Each of these systems can include software and hardware such astransponders, antenna, and wireless signal interfaces. Another exampleof a system that may employ a local wireless communication format is avehicle-to-everything (V2X system). In some cases, the Bluetoothcommunications system 220 may employ some local wireless communicationsformat and may be used in lieu of, or in addition to, the Wi-Ficommunications system 230 to execute various actions in accordance withthe disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario wherein the autonomous vehicle115 is parked at a parking spot 315 in a parking area 300. The parkingarea 300 can be any area that lacks cellular communications coverage,such as, for example, an underground garage or a rural area. In thisexample scenario, the parking area 300 is a parking garage in anunderground level of a multistoried structure (such as a hotel, forexample) and the user device 120 used by the individual 125 is asmartphone that communicates with other communication devices via acellular network.

The autonomous vehicle 115 may have traveled to the parking garage afterthe individual 125 has stepped out at a different location (in front ofa reception area of a hotel, for example) and issued a directive to thevehicle controller 110 to self-park the autonomous vehicle 115 in theparking garage. Upon entering the parking garage, the autonomous vehicle115 may have searched for a vacant parking spot and self-parked in theparking spot 315 (which may be any available parking spot or one that isreserved for hotel guests).

Cellular communication coverage is unavailable at the parking spot 315due to various reasons such as, for example, because the parking garageis located underground and/or because the walls of the parking garageare constructed of a material that attenuates or blocks cellularsignals. The cellular communications system 225 of the vehiclecontroller 110 therefore loses communications with the smartphone of theindividual 125 at this time. The loss of communications between thevehicle controller 110 and the smartphone of the individual 125 may beirrelevant as far as the self-parking operation of the autonomousvehicle 115 in the parking spot 315 is concerned. However, the loss ofcommunications between the vehicle controller 110 and the smartphone ofthe individual 125 can prevent the vehicle controller 110 receivingdirectives from the individual 125 (such as, for example, a summonsdirective to pick up the individual 125 at the front of the hotel thenext day morning). The individual 125 may have checked into a room ofthe hotel at this time. The room may have good cellular communicationcoverage, thus allowing the individual 125 to use his smartphone tocommunicate with the cloud-based device 140 and issue directives to thevehicle controller 110 via the cloud-based device 140 in accordance withthe disclosure.

The unavailability of cellular communication coverage at the parkingspot 315 not only prevents the vehicle controller 110 from communicatingwith the smartphone of the individual 125 but also prevents the vehiclecontroller 110 from communicating with the cloud-based device 140 viacellular communications. However, the vehicle controller 110 may be ableto communicate with the cloud-based device 140 using Wi-Ficommunications as a result of availability of Wi-Fi coverage at theparking spot 315. The Wi-Fi coverage may be provided by a WiFi node suchas, for example, a WiFi communications device 310 that is located in aroom 305 on the underground level in the parking garage.

The cellular communications system 225 of the vehicle controller 110includes various components that are powered by a battery of theautonomous vehicle 115. It is preferable that the cellularcommunications system 225 be powered down when the engine/motor of theautonomous vehicle 115 is shut down so as to reduce battery consumption.Consequently, and in accordance with the disclosure, the vehiclecontroller 110 may place the cellular communications system 225 in apowered down condition when the autonomous vehicle is parked at theparking spot 315 where cellular communications coverage is unavailable.

The Wi-Fi communications system 230 of the vehicle controller 110 alsoincludes various components that are powered by the battery of theautonomous vehicle 115. In the illustrated scenario, the Wi-Ficommunications system 230 may be operated by the vehicle controller 110to communicate with the cloud-based device 140 in order to receive adirective from the smartphone of the individual 125. The directive canbe issued by the individual 125 at any arbitrary time. The Wi-Ficommunications system 230 can be left in a powered-up conditionindefinitely so as to enable the vehicle controller 110 to receive thedirective from the cloud-based device 140. However, this mode ofoperation may result in an unacceptable level of battery chargeconsumption, particularly if the autonomous vehicle 115 is left parkedin the parking spot 315 for a long period of time (a week or more, forexample). Consequently, and in accordance with the disclosure, thevehicle controller 110 may power down the Wi-Fi communications system230 and utilize a wakeup routine to power up the Wi-Fi communicationssystem 230 in a periodic manner (or sporadic manner) to check for thepresence of a directive. This procedure is described below in moredetail.

FIG. 4 shows a graph 400 of battery power consumption in the autonomousvehicle 115 when the autonomous vehicle 115 is parked in the parkingspot 315 and a wakeup routine is deployed in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure. The vehicle controller 110 transitions toa powered-down state at time “t0” after parking in the parking spot 315.In an example implementation, the vehicle controller 110 detects theunavailability of cellular communications coverage at the parking spot315 before transitioning to the powered-down state. In another exampleimplementation, the vehicle controller 110 detects the unavailability ofcellular communications coverage at the parking spot 315 aftertransitioning to a powered-up state per a wakeup routine.

The wakeup routine may be implemented by incorporating a wakeup circuitin the vehicle controller 110. A processor of the vehicle controller 110may automatically execute the wakeup routine (in the form of a softwareapplication) during a key off condition of the autonomous vehicle 115.The software application shuts down some or all components in thevehicle controller 110 (including the communication module 205) when theautonomous vehicle 115 is first placed in the key off condition. Thewakeup circuit is retained in a constantly powered-up state and operatesto periodically (or sporadically) power up some of the powered-downcomponents and place these components in an operational state. Variouscharacteristics of the wakeup routine may be selected on the basis of adesired level of battery drain over a period of time. Some examplecharacteristics can include a pulse repetition rate and a duty cycle ofa wakeup trigger sequence used for the wakeup routine. The wakeuptrigger sequence can be a periodic wakeup trigger sequence in someimplementations and a sporadic wakeup trigger sequence in some otherimplementations in accordance with disclosure.

Other factors that may be applied to the wakeup routine is the use ofdifferent powered-up states for varying the amount of battery chargeconsumption at various times. For example, the wakeup routine caninclude a first powered-up state of the vehicle controller 110 thatoccurs at time “t1” where some components that were powered down (suchas, for example, a radio-frequency (RF) transponder in the Wi-Ficommunications system 230) are powered-up. The vehicle controller 110operates these components during the first powered-up state (which maybe referred to as a partially powered-up state) to communicate with thecloud-based device 140 to check for the presence of a directive issuedby the individual 125. The communications can be limited to an exchangeof a few messages between the Wi-Fi communications system 230 and thecloud-based device 140. The ADS 235 may be retained in a power downstate at this time.

In the example scenario illustration by the graph 400, the vehiclecontroller 110 determines that no directive has been issued by theindividual and at time “t2”, the vehicle controller 110 transitions to apowered down state. In the powered down state, the Wi-Fi communicationssystem 230 that had been powered up at “t1” is powered down and batterycharge consumption reduced to a low level. The wake-up circuit onceagain initiates entry of the vehicle controller 110 into the partiallypowered-up state at time “t3” and communicates with the cloud-baseddevice 140 to check for the presence of a directive issued by theindividual 125. If no directive has been issued the vehicle controller110 transitions to a powered down state at time “t4.”

The wake-up routine is repeated after time “t4” in a similar manner.However, at time “t6” the vehicle controller 110 enters the partiallypowered-up state and recognizes that a directive has been issued by theindividual 125 (a pickup summons, for example). The directive may havebeen issued by the individual 125 at any time after a time “t5” when thevehicle controller 110 entered a powered-down state or at any time aftertime “t6” when the vehicle controller 110 is in a partially powered-upstate.

Any delay between issuing of the directive by the individual 125 andrecognition of the directive by the vehicle controller 110 may bereferred to as a directive recognition latency. The directiverecognition latency may be varied by modifying a repetition rate of thewakeup routine. Increasing the repetition rate reduces the directiverecognition latency but increases battery charge consumption (morefrequently entering into the partially powered-up state). Conversely,decreasing the repetition rate increases the directive recognitionlatency but reduces battery charge consumption (less frequent entry intothe partially powered-up state). Battery charge consumption may also bevaried by modifying a duty cycle of the wakeup routine. Setting the dutycycle to 10%, for example, reduces battery charge consumption incomparison to setting the duty cycle to 40%, for example.

Upon recognizing that a directive has been issued, the vehiclecontroller 110 may transition at “t7” from the partially powered-upstate to a second powered-up state (which may be referred to as a fullypowered-up state) at time “t8.” In the fully-powered up state, most, orall, components of the vehicle controller 110 are placed in a powered-upcondition (including the ADS 235). The ADS 235 then assist in operatingthe autonomous vehicle 115 to execute an autonomous operation inresponse to the directive. For example, the ADS 235 may assist theautonomous vehicle 115 travel from the parking spot 315 to a pickup spotfor picking up the individual 125 in response to a summons directive.The battery charge consumption after time “t8” will be high incomparison to the battery charge consumption during the partiallypowered-up condition.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart 500 of a method to execute a wakeup operationupon the autonomous vehicle 115 in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure. The flowchart 500 illustrates a sequence of operations thatcan be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Inthe context of software, the operations represent computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia such as a memory in the vehicle controller 110, that, whenexecuted by one or more processors such as a processor in the vehiclecontroller 110, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations may be carriedout in a different order, omitted, combined in any order, and/or carriedout in parallel.

At block 505, the autonomous vehicle 115 enters a key off condition. Inone scenario, the key off condition may occur when the autonomousvehicle 115 executes a self-parking operation with no occupant presentin the autonomous vehicle 115. In another scenario, the key offcondition may occur when the autonomous vehicle 115 executes aself-parking operation and one or more occupants exit the autonomousvehicle 115.

At block 510, the vehicle controller 110 of the autonomous vehicle 115may make a determination whether cellular communication coverage isavailable at a parking spot where the autonomous vehicle 115 is parked.

If cellular communication coverage is available, at block 590, thevehicle controller 110 may enter a wait state and wait for a directivethat may be transmitted by the individual 125 through the user device120 (a cellular device, such as, for example, a smartphone). If nodirective is received, the vehicle controller 110 remains in the waitstate. If at block 590, a directive is received, at block 585, thevehicle controller 110 executes the directive, such as, for example, bymoving the autonomous vehicle 115 to a pickup spot in response to asummons directive.

If, at block 510, cellular communication coverage is not available, atblock 515, the vehicle controller 110 of the autonomous vehicle 115 maymake a determination whether WiFi communication coverage is available atthe parking spot.

If WiFi communication coverage is not available at the parking spot, thevehicle controller 110 is unable to receive any directive from the userdevice 120 (directly via cellular or indirectly through the cloud-baseddevice 140 via WiFi). Consequently, the wakeup operation illustrated inthe flowchart 500 will end.

If WiFi communication coverage is available, at block 520, the vehiclecontroller 110 of the autonomous vehicle 115 may make a determinationwhether the autonomous vehicle 115 has WiFi credentials to communicatewith a WiFi node (such as the WiFi communications device 310 located inthe parking garage as described above). The WiFi credentials can includeitems such as, for example, a user name and a password.

If WiFi credentials are not available, at block 525, the vehiclecontroller 110 may negotiate with the WiFi communications device toobtain WiFi credentials. In an example implementation, an individual whois associated with WiFi communications device (an IT administrator or ahotel manager, for example) may provide WiFi credentials to the vehiclecontroller 110.

If WiFi credentials are available (either already, or newly obtainedfrom the individual associated with WiFi communications device), atblock 530, the vehicle controller 110 exchanges communications with thecloud-based device 140 (via WiFi) to inquire whether a directive hasbeen issued by the individual 125. The communications may be carried outvia messages that are efficient in various ways such as, for example,low power, short propagation time, and/or in unencoded form.

In an example scenario, the individual 125 may have issued a directive,such as, for example, a summons directive directing the autonomousvehicle 115 to travel to a pickup location at a scheduled time. Thevehicle controller 110 makes note of the scheduled time, and, at block575, executes the directive.

If no directive has been issued, the vehicle controller 110 initiatesthe wakeup routine described above. More particularly, at block 535, thevehicle controller 110 enters a powered-down state.

At block 540, the vehicle controller 110 enters a partially powered-upstate (as a part of the wakeup routine) and operates the WiFicommunications system 230 to communicate with the cloud-based device140. The cellular communications system 225 (and ADS 235) are retainedin a powered-down state at this time.

At block 545, communications between the vehicle controller 110 and thecloud-based device 140 may inform the vehicle controller 110 that adirective has been issued by the individual 125.

At block 550, the vehicle controller 110 enters a fully powered-up stateby powering up elements such as the cellular communications system 225,Bluetooth communications system 220, ADS 235, etc. Additional detailsabout the directive may be obtained by the vehicle controller 110 viamessages formatted in a protocol such as, for example, FTCP or NGTP.

At block 585, the vehicle controller 110 executes the directive, suchas, for example, by moving the autonomous vehicle 115 to a pickup spotdesignated by the individual 125 in the directive.

In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, which illustrate specificimplementations in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It isunderstood that other implementations may be utilized, and structuralchanges may be made without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “exampleimplementation,” etc., indicate that the embodiment or implementationdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment or implementation may notnecessarily include the particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring tothe same embodiment or implementation. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment or implementation, one skilled in the art will recognize suchfeature, structure, or characteristic in connection with otherembodiments or implementations whether or not explicitly described. Forexample, various features, aspects, and actions described above withrespect to an autonomous parking maneuver are applicable to variousother autonomous maneuvers and must be interpreted accordingly.

Implementations of the systems, apparatuses, devices, and methodsdisclosed herein may comprise or utilize one or more devices thatinclude hardware, such as, for example, one or more processors andsystem memory, as discussed herein. An implementation of the devices,systems, and methods disclosed herein may communicate over a computernetwork. A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enablethe transport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modulesand/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred orprovided over a network or another communications connection (eitherhardwired, wireless, or any combination of hardwired or wireless) to acomputer, the computer properly views the connection as a transmissionmedium. Transmission media can include a network and/or data links,which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Combinationsof the above should also be included within the scope of non-transitorycomputer-readable media.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which, when executed at a processor, cause the processor to performa certain function or group of functions. The computer-executableinstructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate formatinstructions such as assembly language, or even source code. Althoughthe subject matter has been described in language specific to structuralfeatures and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that thesubject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limitedto the described features or acts described above. Rather, the describedfeatures and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing theclaims.

A memory device such as a memory in the vehicle controller 110, caninclude any one memory element or a combination of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.) and non-volatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape,CDROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory device may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. In the contextof this document, a “non-transitory computer-readable medium” can be,for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of thecomputer-readable medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette (magnetic), a random-access memory (RAM) (electronic),a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), and aportable compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM) (optical). Note that thecomputer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable mediumupon which the program is printed, since the program can beelectronically captured, for instance, via optical scanning of the paperor other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in asuitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure maybe practiced in network computing environments with many types ofcomputer system configurations, including in-dash vehicle computers,personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, messageprocessors, user devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-basedor programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers,mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers,switches, various storage devices, and the like. The disclosure may alsobe practiced in distributed system environments where local and remotecomputer systems, which are linked (either by hardwired data links,wireless data links, or by any combination of hardwired and wirelessdata links) through a network, both perform tasks. In a distributedsystem environment, program modules may be located in both the local andremote memory storage devices.

Further, where appropriate, the functions described herein can beperformed in one or more of hardware, software, firmware, digitalcomponents, or analog components. For example, one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed to carry out oneor more of the systems and procedures described herein. Certain termsare used throughout the description, and claims refer to particularsystem components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, componentsmay be referred to by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components that differ in name, but not function.

At least some embodiments of the present disclosure have been directedto computer program products comprising such logic (e.g., in the form ofsoftware) stored on any computer-usable medium. Such software, whenexecuted in one or more data processing devices, causes a device tooperate as described herein.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilledin the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described example embodiments butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents. The foregoing description has been presented for thepurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. Further, it should be noted that any or all of theaforementioned alternate implementations may be used in any combinationdesired to form additional hybrid implementations of the presentdisclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respectto a particular device or component may be performed by another deviceor component. Further, while specific device characteristics have beendescribed, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous otherdevice characteristics. Further, although embodiments have beendescribed in language specific to structural features and/ormethodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms ofimplementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, amongothers, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include,while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements,and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intendedto imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way requiredfor one or more embodiments.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a vehicle controllerof an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising: detecting anunavailability of cellular communication coverage at a parking spot;detecting an absence or an exit of an occupant from the autonomousvehicle; transitioning to a powered-down state, after the autonomousvehicle is parked at the parking spot, responsive to the unavailabilityof cellular communication coverage at the parking spot and the absenceor the exit of the occupant from the autonomous vehicle; transitioningto a first powered-up state per a wakeup routine; transmitting a queryin a local wireless communication format to a cloud-based device tocheck for a directive to execute an autonomous operation; transitioningto the powered-down state upon detecting an absence of the directive;transitioning to a second powered-up state upon detecting the directive;and executing the autonomous operation after transitioning to the secondpowered-up state.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehiclecontroller is configured to have a lower battery charge consumptionduring the first powered-up state than during the second powered-upstate, responsive, at least in part, to the unavailability of cellularcommunication coverage at the parking spot.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein transitioning to the first powered-up state comprises powering afirst component in the vehicle controller and wherein transitioning tothe second powered-up state comprises powering the first component and asecond component in the vehicle controller.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein a repetitive time sequence of the wakeup routine is selected toconserve power in a battery system of the autonomous vehicle when theautonomous vehicle is in a key-off condition.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the query is a Wi-Fi query and wherein transmitting the Wi-Fiquery to the cloud-based device comprises the vehicle controllerestablishing credentials with a Wi-Fi node prior to transmitting theWi-Fi query.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: entering thedirective into a user device of an individual; and transmitting thedirective from the user device to the cloud-based device.
 7. The methodof claim 6, wherein the directive is a summons to the autonomous vehiclefor picking up the individual at a designated location.
 8. A method ofoperating a vehicle controller of an autonomous vehicle, the methodcomprising: detecting an unavailability of cellular communicationcoverage at a parking spot; detecting an absence or an exit of anoccupant from the autonomous vehicle; transitioning to a powered-downstate, after the autonomous vehicle is parked at the parking spot,responsive to the unavailability of cellular communication coverage atthe parking spot and the absence or the exit of the occupant from theautonomous vehicle; transitioning to a first powered-up state totransmit a query in a local wireless communication format to acloud-based device to check for a directive to execute an autonomousoperation; transitioning to a second powered-up state upon detecting thedirective; and executing the autonomous operation after transitioning tothe second powered-up state.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: transitioning to a powered-down state when no directive isdetected; and transitioning to the first powered-up state per a wakeuproutine.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein transitioning to thepowered-down state after the autonomous vehicle is parked at the parkingspot comprises placing a Wi-Fi communications system and a cellularcommunications system in the powered-down state, and whereintransitioning to the first powered-up state per the wakeup routinecomprises powering up the Wi-Fi communications system and retaining thecellular communications system in the powered-down state.
 11. The methodof claim 9, wherein the wakeup routine comprises a wakeup triggersequence that is selected to conserve power in a battery system of theautonomous vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is in a key-offcondition.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wakeup triggersequence is one of a periodic wakeup trigger sequence or a sporadicwakeup trigger sequence.
 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:entering the directive into a user device of an individual; andtransmitting the directive from the user device to the cloud-baseddevice.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the autonomous operation isone of a remote start operation, a remote vehicle door lock operation,or a remote summons operation.
 15. The method of claim 8, whereindetecting the directive comprises receiving a message in the localwireless communication format, in the vehicle controller from thecloud-based device.
 16. A vehicle controller of an autonomous vehicle,the vehicle controller comprising: a memory that storescomputer-executable instructions; and a processor configured to accessthe memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:detect an unavailability of cellular communication coverage at a parkingspot; detect an absence or an exit of an occupant from the autonomousvehicle; transition to a powered-down state, after the autonomousvehicle is parked at the parking spot, responsive to the unavailabilityof cellular communication coverage at the parking spot and the absenceor the exit of the occupant from the autonomous vehicle; transition to afirst powered-up state to transmit a query in a local wirelesscommunication format to a cloud-based device to check for a directive toexecute an autonomous operation; transition to a second powered-up stateupon detecting the directive; and execute the autonomous operation aftertransitioning to the second powered-up state.
 17. The vehicle controllerof claim 16, wherein transitioning to the powered-down state comprisesplacing a Wi-Fi communications system and a cellular communicationssystem in the powered-down state, and wherein transitioning to the firstpowered-up state comprises powering up the Wi-Fi communications systemand retaining the cellular communications system in the powered-downstate.
 18. The vehicle controller of claim 16, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions are executable to: transition to apowered-down state when no directive is detected; and transition to thefirst powered-up state per a wakeup routine.
 19. The vehicle controllerof claim 18, wherein the wakeup routine comprises a wakeup triggersequence that is selected to conserve power in a battery system of theautonomous vehicle when the autonomous vehicle is in a key-offcondition.
 20. The vehicle controller of claim 16, wherein theautonomous operation is one of a remote start operation, a remotevehicle door lock operation, or a remote summons operation.